The Philadelphia 76ers lost Monday night to the team with the best NBA record, the Utah Jazz. The 76ers were losing Joel Embiid and a night of Ben Simmons’ career and 36 points, 10 rebounds and two overnight assists from Tobias Harris were not enough to get the 76ers to overcome the obstacle.
After Joel Embiid was listed as a delayed scratch, it was clear that Simmons and Harris would need to step forward. Both players responded well to the challenge, but in the end, Jazz continued its strong run early in the season. Simmons was asked after the game about the confrontation.
“I loved it when I saw that Rudy (Gobert) was protecting me. I love being able to attack someone like that. I felt it was a little disrespectful to put him on top of me, but it is what it is. “
It is strange that Simmons considered it a disrespectful gesture to have a player protecting him who has won several Defensive Player of the Year awards and is only the 10th NBA player to win him consecutively.
It is understandable to question the positional difference, but Ben Simmons’ shooting fights are well documented and require heterodox defensive approaches. It would be different if it were Damian Lillard who has the ability to shoot right after the half block. This is not a guy that Rudy Gobert should protect. That said, Simmons was able to drive through Gobert several times and make plays that led to the night of his career.
From a Jazz standpoint, why not challenge Simmons’ game-making ability for yourself and others by putting Gobert’s length in front of him to make it difficult for Simmons? Make it difficult for him to see the passing lanes and attack the ledge?
In the end, Utah Jazz won the game, and while that doesn’t mean Rudy Gobert’s confrontation with Ben Simmons was the right choice, it clearly didn’t hurt.